A Brief History of Pain
Treatment

Ancient civilizations recorded on stone tablets accounts of pain and the
treatments used: pressure, heat, water, and sun. Early humans related pain to
evil, magic, and demons. Relief of pain was the responsibility of sorcerers,
shamans, priests, and priestesses, who used herbs, rites, and ceremonies as
their treatments.

The Greeks and Romans were the
first to advance a theory of sensation, the idea that the brain and nervous
system have a role in producing the perception of pain. But it was not until the
Middle Ages and well into the Renaissance-the 1400s and 1500s-that evidence
began to accumulate in support of these theories. Leonardo Da Vinci and his
contemporaries came to believe that the brain was the central organ responsible
for sensation. Da Vinci also developed the idea that the
spinal cord transmits sensations to the brain.

In the 17th and 18th centuries,
the study of the body-and the senses-continued to be a source of wonder for the
world's philosophers. In 1664, the French philosopher René Descartes described
what to this day is still called a "pain pathway." Descartes illustrated how
particles of fire, in contact with the foot, travel to the brain, and he compared
pain sensation to the ringing of a bell.

In the 19th century, pain came
to dwell under a new domain-science-paving the way for advances in pain therapy.
Physician-scientists discovered that
opium,
morphine,
codeine, and
cocaine could be used to treat pain. These drugs led to the development
of aspirin, to this day, the most commonly used pain reliever. Before long,
anesthesia-both general and regional-was refined and applied during surgery.

"It has no future but itself,"
wrote the 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson, speaking about pain. As
the 21st century unfolds, however, advances in pain research are creating a less
grim future than that portrayed in Dickinson's verse, a future that includes a
better understanding of pain, along with greatly improved treatments to keep it
in check.

The information in this site briefly describes issues related to
medical treatments, and has been licensed by from Northern
California Neurosurgery Medical Group, Inc., who is solely
responsible for said content. This web site is not a
substitute for good medical care or for a consultation with a spine
specialist. It should not be used to plan your treatment. The well
considered advice of a specialist who has personally examined you is
always superior to even the best internet pages.